Scan barcode
A review by travelling_bookworm
First Love and Other Stories by Ivan Turgenev
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
“My heart, so ready and willing to love, will soon stop beating. Will it fall quiet forever without once having known happiness or once having expanded under a sweet burden of joy?”
---------------------------------
Already known for his fantastic depiction of rural Russian life and cutting criticism of life under serfdom, Turgenev also shows his mastery at creating deep character studies in a short space of time in this somewhat autobiographical collection.
With lines such as “To keep parents from being bored is what children are for,” his stories are unexpectedly humorous without losing anything from its depth and fluidity. The effortless flow from profound and hard truths to bitter humor is executed so easily, so naturally, that it is impossible not to enjoy this book. What I enjoyed most of all in Turgenev’s style was his masterful rhythm of building tension and breaking it a moment later, always keeping you on your toes, which makes this one of the classics that is read with pleasure and surprise.
---------------------------------
Already known for his fantastic depiction of rural Russian life and cutting criticism of life under serfdom, Turgenev also shows his mastery at creating deep character studies in a short space of time in this somewhat autobiographical collection.
With lines such as “To keep parents from being bored is what children are for,” his stories are unexpectedly humorous without losing anything from its depth and fluidity. The effortless flow from profound and hard truths to bitter humor is executed so easily, so naturally, that it is impossible not to enjoy this book. What I enjoyed most of all in Turgenev’s style was his masterful rhythm of building tension and breaking it a moment later, always keeping you on your toes, which makes this one of the classics that is read with pleasure and surprise.